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Original poster

Dog ate my picnic

711 replies

givingitupok · 12/07/2025 20:36

Had a picnic with my child today in our local park. Random dog (Shar Pei) appeared out of nowhere and ran over to us. I stood up and picked up my child and ran in a panic and stood behind a tree (probably looked like a total fool doing so but there was nowhere else to go without running towards the dog!). No idea where the owner was at this point. Watched the dog eating our food and also drooling all over our lunch box. Owner suddenly appeared from a path that lead into the park screaming at her dog to 'get here now'. Dog totally ignored her and she had to grab it and literally drag it away and put the lead on it. She apologised but when I asked her if she was going to pay for our food she actually had the gall to say 'you should have picked it up when you saw him coming' !!! I have just got home and this literally only happend 45 mins ago so am still fuming. She did not pay for our food and despite initially apologising, was incredibly arsey and walked off in the opposite direction. My child is very upset and the worst bit is, he has SEN and made everything in the lunch box himself (spread the sandwiches, cut up the apples, broke the chocolate into pieces to fit it in the container, etc). This was quite a big thing for him and he's really upset. I am also on a low income and spent a lot on the food. I took a photo of her and it clearly has her face in it. Not sure why but I just felt like I had to do something. I am not going to name and shame, but I'm just so angry.

Not sure what I want from this thread. Just rather pissed off.

OP posts:
aGirlLikeJesamine · 13/07/2025 17:49

my dog wouldnt steal, i wouldnt let her loose anyway, my previous dog did wee in a cup of workman's tea, which we all laughed about,

DeedsNotDiddums · 13/07/2025 17:48

Gardeninrags · 12/07/2025 21:57

No, my dog would eat the child as well as the picnic

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Not something to be proud of.

DeedsNotDiddums · 13/07/2025 17:44

Owner of multiple big dogs here. She was absolutely wrong. She let her dog go up to you. You reacted in the way you best felt fit and it did not involve hurting her dog. She should have paid something for your lunch.

Optimustime · 13/07/2025 17:41

pelargoniums · 13/07/2025 08:08

It’s a surprise that people picnic in summer but not all year round?

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No it's a surprise that they'd choose the field we walk in. It's mostly tall grass and hogweed, has a high number of dogs in it. You're probably risking ticks if nothing else by sitting in the grass.

Whammyyammy · 13/07/2025 17:37

Standard shitty dog owner that just let's their dog run loose without any control or thought for others.

Dominoeffecter · 13/07/2025 17:30

aGirlLikeJesamine · 13/07/2025 17:27

its awful,
but i am not going to change anyone's mind, they all want to take photos of people! just in case,

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And?

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 13/07/2025 17:29

If one of our dogs did this, dh would 100% offer to replace the food, and would apologise (I don’t walk the dogs due to disability).

The dogs aren’t usually off lead in places like parks, where people are having picnics, but dh does his best to spot anyone with a picnic/sandwiches, and keep the dogs away from them.

The woman was very rude, and I’m sorry you met such an irresponsible dog owner, @givingitupok.

aGirlLikeJesamine · 13/07/2025 17:27

Dominoeffecter · 13/07/2025 17:26

Perhaps get over it?

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its awful,
but i am not going to change anyone's mind, they all want to take photos of people! just in case,

Dominoeffecter · 13/07/2025 17:26

aGirlLikeJesamine · 13/07/2025 17:23

yet still took a photo
very odd

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Perhaps get over it?

aGirlLikeJesamine · 13/07/2025 17:23

AngelicKaty · 13/07/2025 15:03

Read the quote history - I have - instinct (an instinct that so many people with smart phones seem to share these days, but you are seemingly blind to.) And OP's posts (if you'd bothered to read them) clearly show she had no motivation to "name and shame" the dog-owner - she literally writes this towards the bottom of her very first post.

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yet still took a photo
very odd

Port1aCastis · 13/07/2025 17:07

"irritating little shit" Yep there's one on this thread.

EasternStandard · 13/07/2025 16:41

Dominoeffecter · 13/07/2025 15:23

You said your dog would eat the child as well

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Well this isn't extreme from pp at all.

Gardeninrags · 13/07/2025 16:37

AngelicKaty · 13/07/2025 16:35

Rude! 😂 (And none of your comments have been "helpful".)

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Suggesting the OP get help for her fear of dogs was very helpful

AngelicKaty · 13/07/2025 16:35

Gardeninrags · 13/07/2025 16:25

Well she can either whinge and whine and and moan about it for the rest of her life or change her reaction to it. Makes no odds to me either way, just trying to be helpful.

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Rude! 😂 (And none of your comments have been "helpful".)

Gardeninrags · 13/07/2025 16:30

AngelicKaty · 13/07/2025 16:28

So you'd risk imprisonment if you thought a child was an "irritating little shit"? You understand that wouldn't be a defence don't you? I realise you think you're clever and funny, but you're really not and that was an absolutely cretinous comment.

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Rude!

AngelicKaty · 13/07/2025 16:28

Gardeninrags · 13/07/2025 15:30

Only if it was an irritating little shit and I gave the command for my dog to do that. So my dog is actually very well trained.

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So you'd risk imprisonment if you thought a child was an "irritating little shit"? You understand that wouldn't be a defence don't you? I realise you think you're clever and funny, but you're really not and that was an absolutely cretinous comment.

Gardeninrags · 13/07/2025 16:25

AngelicKaty · 13/07/2025 16:20

The OP doesn't "expect the whole world to revolve around her". She expects dog-owners to handle their dogs responsibly - just as they should.

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Well she can either whinge and whine and and moan about it for the rest of her life or change her reaction to it. Makes no odds to me either way, just trying to be helpful.

Imaybeoldbutstillrandy · 13/07/2025 16:20

TrixieFatell · 12/07/2025 20:51

There's some real dickhead dog owners out there. I hope you and your son are ok.

As a dog owner I agree - there are some dog owners who expect everyone to love their dog-baby.

I've had dogs all my life & am very aware that for various reasons not everyone loves my dog - even if she loves everyone (which she does).

I have trained my dog to a very stern '<DOG NAME> DROP' (with hand action) which gets an immediate reaction & stops her in her tracks & she immediately goes into a lie down position - it can be used if she's about to run into a road, run over to someone who's eating a picnic, generally if she's about to do anything that she shouldn't. I don't need to use it often as she comes when she's called, but, as I say, it's an emergency command that stops her in her tracks.

However, as another post that I've put on about her eating student's pizza when she was a pup - it took a while to put that command into place.

I once used it when in a pub garden when with a group of friends, she was off the lead & went to follow a friend into the pub when they went to get drinks. Friends sat to attention & commented that I was rather scary & how they felt I was a bit OTT as my dog is otherwise such a sweet good dog. I don't think I was as she didn't come back when called & dogs weren't allowed into the pub. Having got her attention, I called back my dog came back to me for a reward & fuss for being a good dog.

AngelicKaty · 13/07/2025 16:20

Gardeninrags · 13/07/2025 15:16

The OP can’t expect the whole world to revolve around her. There are always going to be lots of dogs around in public places so the best the OP can do is to work on her own anxiety about dogs. Otherwise her DC will likely pick up the same fears. She can wait for the whole of society to train their dogs if she prefers but it is her and her children who will suffer in the meantime if they are scared of dogs.

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The OP doesn't "expect the whole world to revolve around her". She expects dog-owners to handle their dogs responsibly - just as they should.

lifeonmars100 · 13/07/2025 16:10

I am sorry that your lovely afternoon out and yout picnic was ruined. Some people are just ignorant and selfish. I would be mortified if I had a dog who did that and if I had no money to pay you on the spot I would have taken your details and made sure I got some money to you later on. People are scared of dogs and with good reason, they can be unpredictale and only behave as well as their owners have trained them to. When I was a young mum there was this vile man that we called the "rotweiler man". He used to stride dowm the pavement flanked by two off the lead rotweilers and grin to himself as everyone leapt out of his way.

CellophaneFlower · 13/07/2025 16:06

Rosscameasdoody · 13/07/2025 14:07

Not necessarily. There’s a ratio of the number of grapes to dog weight. A 20lb animal probably wouldn’t be affected by up to around 20-24 grapes. I wouldn’t risk it though, and together with the chocolate l’d be getting it to a vet.

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This isn't true. There is no safe amount of grapes for any dog as nobody knows which dogs will be affected, regardless of weight. It's totally different to chocolate, which does go by weight and amount of cocoa solids in the chocolate.

LakieLady · 13/07/2025 16:00

HerNeighbourTotoro · 13/07/2025 08:18

Breaking News: People picnic not only in parks!
Interview with bewildered dog owners has no clue what to do with themselves coming up next.

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A couple of years ago, someone posted on a local Facebook page complaining about horseriders and cyclists coming too close to where they were picnicking.

They described where they were, and it transpired that the daft buggers were sitting in the middle of a bridleway. It's well signposted too, from both entrances to the field it's in.

IMustDoMoreExercise · 13/07/2025 15:48

AngelicKaty · 13/07/2025 10:16

Oh, she already has been! Along with others accusing her of making it all up. There were some absolute loons on MN yesterday - it must have been the heat so better buckle up for today too. 🙄

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This sums this thread up.

I hope that it is the weather causing the lunacy, otherwise the whole country is doomed.

Dominoeffecter · 13/07/2025 15:43

Imaybeoldbutstillrandy · 13/07/2025 15:36

This happened to me many years ago when my Cocker Spaniel was a pup.

Some students had fallen asleep in our local park leaving the remains of pizza around them. My dog ran over & started gobbling their pizzas. I chased after her & dragged dog away. I woke them up, told them what my dog had done & profusely apologised. I pointed out that they could've been robbed blind as there were wallets & expensive phones lying on the ground. Frankly they were rather amused & grateful that I'd pointed out that falling asleep with phones & wallets on display wasn't a good idea & they said that it was no problem as they'd finished eating anyway.

However I gave them £20 to pay for more pizzas as they may have wanted to take the remains home to eat later - it's only polite.

I think it's the dog owner's responsibility to keep their dog under control which I can do now, but at the time she was only a pup & the temptation was too much for her.

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You sound very decent ☺️